Desert Hearts
by darkrae93
Summary: Spoiler warning: contains evens up to Naruto Shippuden Episode 32 Gaara's one true childhood friend returns to the village, and the two reconnect instantly. Can Mei pull Gaara out of his shell?
1. Chapter 1

"_Hey guys let's play kickball!" A young boy brown haired boy shouted happily to a group of school children._

_ "Yea!" two of the other children shouted in unison. _

_ The group of children played happily until one of the kids managed to kick the ball onto the roof of a nearby building._

_ "Way to go, now what will we do." The brown haired boy groaned._

_ The group looked up as they saw sand flying onto the roof and picking up the ball. The ball seemed to float down into the hands of a small spiky red haired boy, around five or six years old, the same age as them._

_ "Ah it's the monster!" A girl screamed._

_ "Run!" The brown haired boy yelled and the group began to run._

_ The red haired boy reached a hand out and sand flew and wrapped around the ankle of one of the girls who began screaming as she fell. Her eyes were full of fear. The red haired boy put his hand down and the sand fell. The group of children helped the girl up and continued running away._

_ The small red haired boy was known as Gaara. Most only knew of him as a monster since he had one of the tailed beasts sealed within him. His ability to control sand scared many of the village. Most of them knew he was created to be a weapon and nothing more._

_ "Hey are you alright?" A small female voice spoke. A young girl smiled softly as she walked over. She had long black hair and deep blue eyes. She could not have been more than five years old. "Don't listen to them, you aren't a monster"_

_ Gaara wiped his tears away and looked at the girl. "You aren't afraid of me?"_

_ The girl simply shook her head "Nuh-uh" _

_ Gaara was shocked. Most people here were afraid of him and ran away, but this girl walked over to him to see if he was alright._

_ "Mei!" A woman's voice called "I told you not to run off!" A tall thin frail looking woman walked over and grabbed the young girl's wrist. "Let's go. I told you to stay away from him." The woman began walking dragging the girl by her arm._

_ "But mom I-" The girl tried to speak but her mother shushed her. The young girl looked back at Gaara who was silent._

"Gaara wake up" a male voice woke Gaara from his dream.

Gaara rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed. "What is it Kankuro?" Gaara spoke roughly, still half asleep.

"You were talking in your sleep again…" Kankuro chuckled. The two boys were brothers. Kankuro was slightly taller than Gaara with short messy brown hair. "Who's Mei?"

"Nobody…" Gaara sighed. That day that he kept dreaming about happened about ten years ago. She was the only kid in the village that was not afraid of him. He was crushed when her mother forced her to move out of the village. Mei's mother was very paranoid so she moved away with Mei since she feared Gaara was getting to close to her.

Gaara got up and took off his pajama pants and put on his black pants, black shirt and red unbuttoned trench coat. "What do I have to do today?" Gaara sighed as he put on his black vest that buckled on the sides.

"Your schedule is clear today, the first time in a while." Kankuro chuckled.

Gaara sighed "Guess I'll walk around the village for a while." Gaara walked out of the room as a girl with medium length blonde hair worn in four different ponytails upon her head walked past him.

"Hey what's with him?" The girl asked.

"Hey Temari, he had that dream again. He was talking in his sleep about someone named Mei." Kankuro sighed.

Temari was the sister of Gaara and Kankuro, she was very much a tomboy with the attitude she gave off.

Temari sighed "Every time we bring it up he shuts himself off."

"I know" Kankuro looked out the window.

Gaara walked out of the building and down the street. Unlike ten years go, Gaara was well respected around the village. People no longer feared him, in fact they loved him. He walked down the street and saw children playing, parents shopping. It was a beautiful day in the Sand Village. He occasionally gave a nod in acknowledgement to those who waved and greeted him, but as usual he was quiet.

Gaara turned a corner and saw a tall thin girl with long black hair standing by the small flower shop. She was wearing a black knee length kimono with a red belt. She also had on black sandals. He couldn't recognize her, and he knew almost everyone. _She must be new…_ He thought to himself.

The girl turned around, she had sharp blue eyes with black eye-liner framing them.

_It can't be…_Gaara thought to himself…

"G-Gaara?" The girl spoke softly.

"Mei…" Gaara spoke in return.

The girl walked over with a smile. "How are you? It's been so long. I hear you are the Kazekage now."

Gaara nodded "Yes…How is your mother?"

"She died, she killed herself…" Mei sighed

"I'm sorry to hear that." Gaara replied awkwardly.

"I see people finally see the real you…a very kind person" Mei smiled softly.

Gaara swallowed hard, he was never used to praise so he did not know how to react.

"I have to finish unpacking, I'll see you around." Mei smiled and waved goodbye before walking down the street.

Gaara was still in shock to see her again. It had been almost ten years since she left. Gaara shook it off and continued his walk around the village. He wondered where Mei was staying now that she had returned. Gaara walked his lap around the village before returning to his home in the Kazekage's building.

"Hey, how was you walk?" Kankuro grinned.

"Fine" Gaara replied.

"I couldn't help but notice you with that girl" Kankuro chuckled.

"What?' Gaara attempted to play it off like he had no idea what Kankuro was talking about.

"I finally remember who that Mei girl was. She was the girl who was always hanging around you but her mother kept dragging her away. She was a really nice girl, I remember that he mother had a mental breakdown and moved away with her. It's great to see that she is back."

"Yea..." Gaara whispered.


	2. Shinobi

The following day Mei was walking around the village, she was wearing black cargo shorts and a black tank top belly shirt. She and her mother lived in the outskirts of the sand village, just outside in a small nameless village. It was quiet and small but still had a ninja academy where she leaned basic ninja skills but she focused on medical ninja training. Her mother did not approve but Mei never did listen to her mother.

Mei's father was a ninja while her mother was a medical ninja. When her father died on a mission, her mother began her spiral down until she had a complete mental break down. Mei was just an infant when her father died so she did not remember him. She only knew what he looked like from old photos of him holding her. She kept a picture of him holding her as an infant in a locket that she kept around her neck at all times.

She didn't have any special ability. She was like most ninja. She knew the basics except that she was somewhat faster. Her father was known for his speed, so she often thought she had inherited that ability from her father.

Mei still wasn't trusted to be a ninja in the Sand village since all of her training was done outside the village. They questioned her loyalty so until she gained the trust of the village she would just be a citizen. She smiled as she walked around the village. _I had almost forgotten how beautiful the village was…_She thought to herself as she looked up at the sky.

Meanwhile Gaara was standing on his balcony looking down over the village. He could see Mei in the center of the village wandering around. He remained silent as he turned around and walked back inside. It was time for his meeting with the Village council so he walked out of his room and down to the meeting hall. He took his seat at the head of the table where the council members were already sitting waiting for his arrival.

"What we need to discuss is Mei Sumiyaka." A younger man pointed out plainly. "Can we trust her?"

"She has not given us any reason not to. This is her home village after all. Her mother may have forced her to leave the village but as we all remember Mei did not want to leave. Her father was a well respected ninja in the community and died to protect his fellow team members." The older looking man spoke recalling the day Mei's mother dragged her out of the village.

"We could test her to see how well that small clan taught her to fight…" The younger man added. "That way we can see if she is even up to the task of being a sand ninja…"

"Alright…we will put her up against one of our ninja tomorrow in the academy's gymnasium at noon. Then we can put her on a probationary period." The older man spoke looking at Gaara for approval.

Gaara simply nodded approval which signaled the end of the meeting.

Mei received a notice that she will be tested at the academy the following afternoon. _I wonder who I will have to fight…_ She thought to herself as she walked back to her apartment. It was a large building with four floors. She lived on the third which she enjoyed since she could look out and see most of the village from outside her window. The sun was setting now and the temperature was dropping. She showered and slipped into a pair of black pajama pants and a white tank top. She then slipped into her bed and fell asleep fairly quickly.

The following morning she woke up early and began working out. She did this every morning; she never liked to slack off. She wanted to stay strong. She did twenty pushups and fifty sits ups before showering again and changing into her everyday outfit of black cargo shorts that stopped mid thigh and a black tank top. She strapped her sandals on and walked out of her apartment. It was almost noon and she did not want to be late. She only lived a short walk from the academy so she had plenty of time to get there. As she entered the academy she was in awe by the size. It was much bigger than the one she went to.

She smiled as she saw Gaara standing in the small booth overlooking the gym as she entered. The other council members were with him, sitting and watching. A tall thin muscular man walked into the arena. He was wearing brown cargo pants and no shirt. His sand village headband was tied around his head. His hair was short and blonde. He had piercing brown eyes.

"Mei you will be fighting Kyro a skilled Chunin." The older man in the booth spoke. Mei was deemed to be a Chunin level by the nameless village she lived in before returning to the sand village.

"Begin" The younger man spoke sharply.

Kyro jumped in the air, throwing several kunai in Mei's direction, which she dodged easily. Mei used a unique ability that exhausted her opponent. She would draw their fire and dodge it gracefully. She also studied pin points in the human body in which she could temporarily stop chakra flow. Mei kept dodging Kyro's attacks and moved gracefully through the air as she did. It looked as though she was walking on air.

"You'll have to move faster than that to hit me" Mei teased.

Kyro gritted his teeth and did hand signs making a shadow clone. The two split up in different directions. The first ran head on towards her while the other seemed to vanish from sight.

_Where is the other one?…_ Mei asked herself while she jumped in the air to dodge the first of Kyro's attacks. She then felt a powerful kick to her side sending her to the ground with a thud. _There he is…_ She gritted her teeth and quickly got up and dodged another kick. She used his opening to kick Kyro; unfortunately it was the shadow clone which vanished in a puff of smoke.

Mei then sensed an attack and grabbed Kyro's arm as he went to punch her. She pulled his arm and kneed him in the stomach and hit a pressure point in his neck making him pass out on the ground.

She looked up at the shocked onlookers and simply smiled. "He'll wake up in about ten minutes"

The men murmured to each other and the younger one walked downstairs and handed a sand village headband to her, bowing his head. Mei bowed as she took the headband and tied it around her head.

"You have great speed and agility, a lot like your father. You also have immense knowledge of the human body. You will be a great addition to our forces." The older man spoke from the watch box.

Gaara nodded in agreement as he stood looking down at her.

Mei bowed in respect. "Thank you."

Mei wasn't sure, but it looked as if Gaara was smiling…


	3. Pain

A week had passed since the day she received her headband. She had gotten a part time job at the village's greenhouse where herbs for the hospital were grown. She was watering the herbs when she looked up and saw Gaara walking past.

"Hello Gaara" She smiled softly.

"Hello" Gaara replied looking over at her.

"Where are you off to?" She asked smoothly.

"Just walking around, checking in on business…" Gaara spoke plainly.

Mei smiled "Mind if I join you? I'm done with work for the day."

"Go ahead…" Gaara spoke. He still didn't understand why she enjoyed being around him so much. Many people still feared his power but she showed no fear.

Mei stepped out of the greenhouse and locked the door, handing the keys to the head researcher before she walked and caught up with Gaara.

The two walked silently together until they heard a familiar voice call out "Mei!"

Mei turned around and saw the man she fought last week.

"Kyro?" Mei looked at him confused as to what he must want.

"I have never lost a fight. You just got a cheap shot." Kyro glared, gritting his teeth.

"You left yourself open and I got you." Mei replied with a smirk.

"Well that won't happen again" Kyro growled as he threw a kunai.

Mei caught it between two fingers. "Are you nuts? There are children around here you could've hurt someone!"

"I have control over my weapons and attacks. We are settling this now!" Kyro lunged at her and Mei smoothly dodged but she then felt a hard kick to her side which sent her to the ground.

Kyro growled and threw three kunai toward Mei as she still lay on the ground. Sand flew into the air and caught the kunai, letting them fall directly to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this" Gaara's cold voice stopped Kyro in his tracks. He stepped out from behind a pillar.

"L-Lord Gaara…I-I didn't realize you were there sir" Kyro stuttered.

Gaara looked directly at Kyro. It was true that he had not notice Gaara. He was blinded by determination to get payback over losing to Mei.

"There is no excuse for attacking a member of this village. Especially where innocent people may be harmed…" Gaara's voice sent chills down Kyro's spine.

Two men appeared by Gaara's side.

"Take him away" Gaara spoke coolly. The two men nodded and grabbed Kyro who did not fight against them. The men carried him away.

Mei got back to her feet.

"Are you alright?" Gaara spoke, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm fine, He just hit the same spot he did last time which still hadn't healed yet." Mei replied. She was embarrassed that she got knocked down.

"You should have that looked at" Gaara looked at her.

"I'll be fine. I should go" Mei turned to walk away but a sand wall blocked her.

Mei turned around to face Gaara.

"Go see a medical ninja…" Gaara spoke coldly.

Mei sighed and nodded before walking to the hospital. She was examined and told she had two broken ribs. They told her that she could not go on any missions until they heal. Mei tried to explain that she would be fine but they would not approve her to go on missions until the two ribs are completely healed.

Mei sighed as she left the hospital and started walking to her apartment and saw Gaara standing outside.

"What did the doctors say?" Gaara spoke, his gaze never leaving the sky, as if he just sensed it was her.

"I have two broken ribs. I can't go on missions until they heal." Mei spoke looking at the ground.

"At least it is not anything serious…" Gaara turned his head looking at her directly into her eyes.

Mei was shocked since he never looked her in the eye since she returned to the village. "Gaara…You haven't changed a bit" She smiled. "Still the quiet shy boy I remember…with a kind heart" Rei blushed faintly embarrassed by what she just said.

Gaara turned away to hide a blush. "I should leave…" Gaara turned and walked away.

Mei walked into her apartment and laid on her bed. It was still bright out since it was only about four o'clock. She suddenly felt very tired and fell asleep on her bed.

She woke up several hours later and looked at her clock which read 2:00am. _I must have fallen asleep…_She thought to herself and got up. She decided to go for a walk. She walked out of her building quietly and began walking down the street. She mad sure that her footsteps were silent so she would not wake anyone. The night air was cool and felt nice as she walked along the silent streets. The moon was full so it made it fairly easy to see. She suddenly sensed that she was not alone. She looked around and did not see anyone. She kept walking, keeping her senses active. She turned around and saw Gaara standing alone.

"Gaara" Mei spoke softly.

"It's dangerous to be out here alone this late." Gaara spoke softly.

"Then why are you out?" Mei raised an eyebrow.

"I'm capable of taking care of myself…" Gaara replied.

"As am I" Mei gave a faint smile.

Gaara simply nodded and looked up at the moon.

Mei looked at him "I remember the day we met…those kids were so mean…"

Gaara nodded "People fear what they don't understand…But I was no saint either…I hurt people…"

"Everyone makes mistakes…" Mei looked at him and stepped closer to him.

Gaara blushed faintly and looked away.

"Are you alright?" Mei looked at him.

Gaara avoided eye contact "I'm fine…"

"You don't have to hide anything from me" Mei looked at him concerned.

Gaara looked at her, his eyes seemed softer, Mei froze then she felt sand press against her back and gently push her toward Gaara. She then felt the sand fall only to be replaced by Gaara's arms wrapped around her, pulling her close to him. Mei was in shock, Gaara seemed cold and shut off, now he was holding her and felt so warm. She slowly wrapped her arms around him. The two remained that way for a few moments before they let go.

Gaara looked away "I'll walk you home…"

Mei smiled thinking it was cute that he seemed so awkward. She nodded and they walked down the street together towards her apartment. The two were quiet as they reached her door. "Thank you Gaara" Mei smiled softly.

Gaara nodded "goodnight" He said before turning around and leaving.

Mei smiled and walked into her apartment and closed the door behind her.

"You you're Gaara's little girlfriend…" A male voice spoke in the darkness of her room.

"Who's there?" Mei spoke looking around the room. It was pitch black. She tried to turn the light on but it would not work. _He must have cut the wires…_She thought to herself and she tried to peer around the room but only saw darkness.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a kunai. She kept her senses sharp. She heard a footstep and saw what looked like blonde hair in the faint sliver of moonlight through the transparent curtains. She turned quickly but that sent a shock of pain through her side from the broken ribs.

"Aww someone hurt?" A sly voice spoke which sounded like it was getting closer.

She jumped up, holding her side to make the pain bearable. This pain was slowing her down. She quickly threw the kunai and heard a cringe of pain.

"You bitch" The man's voice growled as she landed silently on the ground but she suddenly felt a hand smack her across the face, sending her to the floor. She knew her lip was split since she felt and tasted blood. She slowly got to her feet and dodged another hit.

"Someone's light on their feet." The voice spoke coolly. She could see blood on the floor, she knew it had to be the man's since her lip wasn't bleeding too badly. _Good, I got him…_She thought to herself.

She heard the sound of chewing and did not sense the man moving so she attempted to back up but suddenly heard an explosion and was sent flying through the window. She hit the ground hard and slowly faded into darkness.


	4. Captured

Gaara reached his home when he heard an explosion. Several people came out after hearing it and he told them to stay inside. He then told the attendants to get the village into the safe house underground. The men nodded and spread out to cover the village. Gaara saw a large bird flying overhead. It was far larger than any bird anyone in this village had seen. It resembled an owl in a way its face had small eyes and small beak. It soared through the air with its large wings. Its entire body was grey and had almost no texture. A tall thin man with long blonde hair with bangs covering one of his eyes which seemed to have a metal plate over it, he was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it. He stood on top of the bird carrying someone in his arms. Gaara used his sand to lift him into the air to the same level as the bird.

"Deidara." Gaara knew the man from meetings about the Akatsuki. His gaze shifted to the girl. She was covered in bruises and cuts. Gaara wondered who the girl was as her body lay limp in Deidara's arms. The wind blew the hair away from her face which revealed it was Mei.

Gaara gritted his teeth. _Mei…_ Memories of his past with Mei flooded his mind. She had always been the one that was kind to him. She was the one that truly cared for him more than anyone ever had. Even when her mother told her to stay away from him, she still went to play with him. She made him feel as though he was not alone in this world. It was her that made him have doubts about what Yashamaru said; that no one will ever love him. He didn't know why but he felt this burning hatred in his heart in this moment. A kind of hatred he had not felt in a long time. He fought back the hatred knowing that if he did not calm down the demon in him would take over his very soul.

"Aww is someone mad?" Deidara grinned cynically and dropped her onto the bird's back. He then held out his hands and balls of clay came out of the mouths on his hands. He threw them at the sand supporting Gaara, they exploded causing the sand to collapse but he caught himself before he could hit the ground.

"Leave her out of this…" Gaara growled.

"Why, she makes things interesting…and she's pretty cute" Deidara grinned and picked her up by the neck.

"Let her go" Gaara sent sand flying in the direction of Deidara who simply dodged.

"Come on, you wanna watch your aim, don't wanna hurt her do you?" Deidara grinned as he placed Mei back down on the bird's back.

. Gaara knew he would have to be careful if he did not want to harm Mei. The battle raged on for hours, both were evenly matched. The each dodged each other's attacks. Gaara evaded a few more clay bombs, using his sand to cover him and act as a shield.

Gaara sent sand flying at Deidara who dodged again. Deidara sent several clay bombs flying at Gaara and his sand. Gaara was able to evade most of the bombs by making a sand cocoon around himself while still sensing Deidara's movements. He used sand to wrap around Deidara's ankle and slammed him against the hard sand and buildings.

Deidara broke free from the sand as the sun began to rise on the following morning.

"_Mei!" a voice called out._

_ Mei turned and saw the group of children walking over to her. It was the same group of children who she had seen teasing Gaara the day before._

_ "Yes?" Mei spoke timidly._

_ "Why did you defend that monster…" A boy spoke with an angry look in his eyes._

_ "B-Because he did nothing wrong…what you guys did was wrong." Mei had always been wise beyond her years. She never understood why people hurt one another for no reason. She had always had a kind heart and people said she had gotten that trait from her late father._

_ "He is a monster" A girl shouted._

_ "No he isn't!" Mei shouted back. _

_ "How do you know?" A boy smirked._

_ "Because he has never done anything to anyone! He never hurt you guys or anyone before." Mei was growing angry at these kids._

_ "Monster lover!" The kids shouted at her._

_ "He isn't a monster!" Mei shouted back at them._

_ "Let's teach this monster lover a lesson." The brown haired boy smirked._

_ Mei then began running away as the group of kids chased her. It was getting dark and this part of the village was virtually deserted at this hour. She felt scared and wanted to hide. She kept running away from the kids until she tripped over a rock. She fell hard in the sand._

_ The group of children surrounded Mei, who slowly got up and tried to find a way out but no one would let her through._

_ She then felt a rock hit her in the head and she fell over. The kids then began to kick her. She cried out in pain when the kids suddenly stopped. _

_ "Leave her alone" A voice spoke._

_ Mei slowly lifted her head as she saw Gaara standing in the shadows._

_ "Ah it's the monster!" A girl screamed and the kids quickly ran away._

_ She quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes. She did not want to seem like a cry baby._

_ "Are you okay?" Gaara walked over to her._

_ Mei nodded._

_ "You're bleeding" Gaara knelt beside her._

_ Mei gently put her hand on her forehead and touched it only to cringe. She brought her hand down and saw blood._

_ "Gaara it's getting late…" A kind voice spoke. A feminine looking man with chin length blonde hair stepped out of the ally way. He was wearing a simple blue kimono. His eyes were a soft blue color. "Oh my what happened?"_

_ "Some kids beat her up Yashamaru…" Gaara rushed over to the man and grabbed his sleeve._

_ "Come on…let's get you cleaned up." Yashamaru smiled…_

Mei slowly woke up from her dream and tried to sit up but pain shot through her body causing her to lie back down. _Where am I…_She looked up and saw Deidara looking down at her with an evil smirk.

"Someone's finally woken up…" Deidara grinned. "Sorry hun but you will need to go to sleep again." He attempted to kick her but she grabbed his ankle and twisted it causing him to fall on the bird's back.

"Leave Lord Gaara alone…" Mei spoke through clenched teeth. She was so focused on protecting Gaara in this one moment that the world around her seemed so foggy. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she glared at Deidara.

Sand suddenly wrapped around Deidara's arm and Gaara murmured "desert coffin…" and closed his fist. The sand tightened around Deidara's arm, crushing it completely. Deidara screamed in pain as his arm was crushed. Deidara then retreated on the back of his bird, hiding between buildings as he planned his attack. Mei was still too weak to put up much of a fight.

Deidara soon fled into the sky above the village with Mei still on the back of the bird.

"I w-won't let you harm him…" Mei slowly forced herself to her feet. "Or our village…" Mei may have seemed like a happy child when she was young, but she had always felt so alone. She had always heard stories about the father she was never fortunate enough to know. She had learned from others what he was like since her mother refused to talk about him. She would always run around the village looking for answers about the man that died to protect his friends. She once sat down and listened to the man her father saved tell her stories about her father for hours. After hearing all of this she vowed to be a girl that would make her father proud. A girl that protected those she cared for, and did not treat others badly for reasons she did not see as just.

Mei spun and kicked Deidara hard in the side almost knocking him off the bird.

"Someone just won't quit" Deidara grinned and grabbed Mei before she could react and kneed her in the stomach, hitting her broken ribs and causing her to cough up blood and pass out.

Deidara soon created another large bird like creature out of his special chakra infused clay. It grew and flew down into the village and soon exploded but Gaara had created a shield of sand to protect the village.

Deidara grinned as a bomb suddenly went off just outside Gaara's sand cocoon. Gaara's eyes widened as he saw what looked like insects crawling into the cocoon and soon exploded. The sand soon started dissipating around him. The ninja who were watching the battle from below started shouting for Gaara, not sure if he was alright. Gaara used his last bit of strength to move the sand he used to protect the village away so that it would not fall and damage the village. He knew he was too weak to fight any longer, so if he could do one thing before losing consciousness, it would be to protect the village.

The ninja of the sand started firing arrows with paper bombs attached at Deidara but none hit the target. They all wished to protect their Kazekage no matter what.

The sand soon was completely away from the village and Gaara lost consciousness and began to fall only to be caught by the bird Deidara was on.

Deidara grinned and kicked Mei off the bird's back then flew away with Gaara.

Kankuro sent his puppet out and caught Mei before she could hit the ground. The puppet carried her over to the medical ninja who quickly carried her off to the hospital.

"And you all thought we couldn't trust her…" Kankuro scoffed. He barely knew this girl, but if Gaara could trust her then anyone could. He knew his brother was very shut away from the world and cautious to let others in. Mei had broken through Gaara's hard shell and that made her part of his family.

"We were right…She is just like her father. Ready to die for her allies…" The older council member looked out in the direction Deidara carried Gaara away in.

"We will find him…" Kankuro tightened his hands into fists then proceeded walking towards the hospital. He wanted to see if Mei was alright before he took any rash actions. He walked inside and walked towards the room where the medical ninja were working on Mei.

"How is she" He looked at one of the medical members as the doctor walked out of the room.

"It doesn't look good, she put up quite a fight but with her already broken ribs she was not able to move as fast as she possibly could…He had the upper hand from the start, against her and Lord Kazekage…" The ninja spoke faintly.

"Will she make it?" Kankuro asked worried.

"I believe so, but she'll have to fight. If she is anything like her father than she should be alright." The man nodded.

"Keep me updated…" Kankuro walked out of the room.

The medical team kept working on Mei, trying to heal her injuries. Hours had passed before the team stabilized her condition and left her in a room to rest. She laid sleeping for hours before she woke up and looked around. She sat up quickly and felt a sharp pain but ignored it.

"I see you finally woke up." A man in a white lab coat smiled softly.

"Where's Gaara?" Mei looked at the man who frowned.

"Deidara took him." He responded solemnly.

That was all Mei needed to hear before she got up out of her hospital bed.

"Wait you need rest" The doctor tried to get her to lay back down.

"I'm going to find him…" Mei ran past the doctor out of the hospital and right into one of Gaara's attendants. "S-sorry" She apologized.

"You should be resting" The man smiled faintly but pain was hidden in his eyes.

"I am fine, I'm going to find Gaara…" Mei clenched her hands into fists.

"We already issued an emergency summons to the leaf village…we will find him." The man tied his boots. "Kankuro went on ahead, I'm going after him. Rest at least until reinforcements arrive."

"Fine…but be careful." Mei bowed. The man smiled weakly and ran out of the village.

Mei went back into the hospital and to her room. She laid down on her bed and looked out the window. She saw people weeping over Gaara being missing. All she could think of was how much she wished she could have saved him…


	5. Help

Mei never moved from her bed, focusing her chakra to her injured areas to help heal herself. She wanted to heal faster so she could be of help when the reinforcements arrived. She knew she was hurt fairly badly by Deidara's bomb and she needed all of her strength to fight him again. Her concentration was broken when she heard commotion outside and she opened her eyes. She looked out the window and saw several men carrying an unconscious Kankuro into the village. He looked so pale and had several cuts on his body. She walked down as the medical team carried him to a room where an older woman was reading what looked like test results.

_I can't just sit and wait here any longer…_Mei looked back at the people working on Kankuro. She then saw her doctor and spoke "I am going after Gaara…"

"Are you crazy? Look what happened to Kankuro." The doctor spoke seriously.

"Gaara held back to protect me, he did not want to hit me in the crossfire. I have to do something…" Mei looked at the doctor who nodded. Mei could not help but feel that this was somehow her fault.

"Thank you…" Mei then ran out of the hospital and out of the village. She remembered hearing Deidara talk about a river, about a man waiting for him. This was all she had to go on so that is where she would run too. She hoped that Kankuro was able to slow the men down so she could somehow catch up to them. She ran fast through the sand, ignoring any distractions such as other people. She ran faster so it seemed that her feet barely touched the sand. _I will find you…_ She thought as she kept running. She then saw two figures walking towards a river.

"Hey!" Mei yelled out running towards the men. She then saw the grey bird holding Gaara in its tail. "Let Gaara go!"

"Someone is light on her feet. I didn't even hear you coming." Deidara smirked and turned around.

Beside him was a short large man, but when he turned around he did not look like a man, a metal mask covered his mouth and nose. He was hunched over and looked as if he had a hump on his back. He was also wearing a coat exactly like Deidara's

"Hey Sasori what do you think we should do with her?" Deidara grinned.

"Kill her like you should have when you were in the village" Sasori's raspy voice spoke from behind his mask.

"Aww, can't we keep her, we could always use another pet" Deidara grinned.

"Release Gaara" Mei growled as she pulled out a kunai.

"She thinks she can fight us…" Sasori rolled his eyes as a metal tail crawled out from his cloak. It was made up of several metal plates and had a point at the tip. The tail seemed to resemble a scorpion's tail.

Mei was not sure what this man's ability was but she kept her guard up. To her he seemed like a monster, and not just because of his appearance but her aura alone gave off an evil power.

"It might be nice to have an audience" Deidara grinned "Don't kill her, bring her in…"

"No promises" Sasori's tail shot at Mei who quickly jumped up, dodging it. "She has speed" Sasori's husky voice spoke.

"Yea, just try to catch me." Mei grinned evading another attack from his tail. Mei jumped off the tail and jumped towards Gaara only to be kicked down by Deidara. Mei quickly got to her feet. He hoped that if she could not get Gaara away from these men, that she would at least be able to stall until the others arrived.

"Stubborn little punk aren't ya" Deidara grinned and ran at her. Mei attempted to run but Sasori's tail was wrapped around her ankle. Deidara punched her hard in the stomach causing her to fall to her knees. Deidara lifted her chin so she was looking at him.

"Give up…" Deidara smirked.

"Never" Mei then quickly stabbed Deidara in the leg with a kunai that she pulled out from her pocket.

"Ouch!" Deidara growled and jumped back. Sasori threw her against the mountain side. Mei fell into the water and got up, wiping the blood away from her mouth. She was using a common jutsu to walk on the water.

"This one just won't quit…" Sasori growled.

"I like her!" Deidara grinned. "Someone who puts up a fight. I haven't had this much fun in years!" Deidara ran at her. "You're lucky my other arm was crushed" He spoke as he attempted to kick her but Mei dodged.

"Let me just knock her out…" Sasori sent his tail flying and wrapped around her. "I used a different poison that will put you to sleep…" The tail tightened and cut her arms. She suddenly started to feel tired. She fought off the overcoming darkness as long as she could until her eyes fell shut and she succumbed to slumber.

"Aww no fun…" Deidara sighed "Let's head inside. The others are waiting." The bird carried Gaara while Sasori carried Mei with his tail inside the cave.

A full day passed when Mei slowly began to wake up, the poison finally warring off. She was bound by chains pinning her arms to her sides and her ankles chained together. She slowly lifted her head and saw several figures standing around Gaara and energy flowing out of Gaara's eyes and mouth. The energy appeared black as night. She immediately knew what was going on. They were removing his demon.

"S-Stop…He will die if you don't!" Mei pleaded but they were not listening. She had studied about Jinchuuriki and knew that the host would die if the demon was removed. The figures kept draining Gaara. They were talking to each other but she could not hear what they were saying.

Mei tried to move but the chains were tight and several had blades on them, all she could do is squirm. She wouldn't give up. She pushed her back against the wall and used it to help her stand up. Her whole body felt heavy, she felt her blood dripping from her wounds. Every movement she made allowed for the blades to cut her skin even more each time.

She watched as the energy soon stopped flowing out of Gaara and his body fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"G-Gaara…" Mei tried to walk but collapsed. She felt the blades cut her every time she moved a muscle. She tried her best to ignore it but the blood loss at this point was making her body weak.

"We are done" Deidara smirked.

A noise was then heard outside of the cave. The noise sounded like muffled voices and movement.

"Sounds like we have company…" Sasori spoke plainly.

Mei watched as several of the figures disappeared in thin air. _They weren't really here…what kind of jutsu is that…_Mei thought to herself. She had never seen a kind of jutsu that allowed a person to be in two places at once, except for substitution jutsu where the person needed an object to perform it, but here there weren't any objects left behind.

"They certainly are taking their time getting in" Deidara spoke with a heavy sigh.

Just as he finished speaking a large explosion was heard and the rock blocking the cave entrance vanished into dust and three leaf village shinobi stood at the entrance. Mei looked over as the blonde haired ninja looked very angry. _He must know Gaara…_Mei thought as the pink haired ninja saw her and her eyes went wide. The girl spoke to the taller man in a blue mask who nodded.

Mei then noticed Lady Chiyo, a well respected elder from her village, standing with the group.

"Mei they told you to stay back…You sure have your father's spirit…" Lady Chiyo spoke, her eyes still locked on Sasori.

"She's bleeding pretty badly" the pink haired girl spoke.

"Sakura go help her." The silver haired ninja in the mask spoke.

"Yes Kakashi" Sakura rushed over to Mei and broke the chains using her massive strength.

"Thank you" Mei spoke and sat up.

Sakura helped Mei to her feet.

"Naruto calm down" Kakashi's voice spoke as he stood in front of the blonde haired ninja.

"So he is the boy who's like Gaara…" Mei spoke softly. She had heard the story about the nine tailed fox and the boy who had it sealed within him.

Sakura nodded. "Both are Jinchuuriki…"

Mei walked with Sakura. Mei saw Gaara's lifeless body and that fueled her anger. "Bastards…." Mei growled.

"Calm down Mei…" Lady Chiyo spoke.

Deidara grinned and created a large bird using his chakra infused clay. This bird looked different from the previous one used to attack the village. This one had a much larger beak and a very round head. The bird picked Gaara up in its mouth and Deidara flew on its back.

"You better follow me…if you want him back…" Deidara's gaze was locked on Naruto.

Naruto quickly ran after, Mei following behind.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled after the yellow haired ninja.

Naruto stopped on top of the wooden red arch while Mei kept running but she was stopped by Kakashi who grabbed her arm, having appeared beside her in the blink of an eye.

Mei knew that it was a bad idea to run in unprepared but she wanted so much to be able to save Gaara but Deidara had beaten her from both encounters.

"Go back to the Sand…Tell them what we know" Kakashi looked at her. Mei nodded and began running. She kept her focus on saving Gaara…That was all she could think about. That was all that mattered to her.


	6. Safety

Mei ran as fast as her body could carry her through the desert sand. The journey back to the village took an hour. She ignored the pain she felt through her still bleeding wounds until she reached the village. She ignored the stares of the shocked villagers until she reached the kazekage's office where the village elders stood wide-eyed.

"Mei..." The eldest began to speak, shocked to see so much blood on a person still able to walk.

"The leaf village requires our aid...Deidara has removed Gaara's demon and took his body...The leaf is in pursuit but we must go help. Deidara was heading northward carrying Gaara in the beak of one of his clay birds" Mei explained. "The leaf village allies went on ahead to follow and sent me back to get help."

"Mei you must get medical attention." The youngest of the elders began.

"No, I am fine, the wounds aren't deep. I am going back to held the Leaf village." With that said Mei turned and ran out of the village. _Please be okay Gaara..._ Mei thought to herself as she forced her body to move forward despite the pain shooting through her body with each step. She focused her vision forward running at full speed, her feet appearing to barely touch the ground below her. It took her about an hour to reach a grassy clearing where the leaf village shinobi stood looking at an unmoving Gaara lying in the grass. Lady Chiyo was knelt down beside Gaara with her hands on his chest. Chakra could be seen flowing from Lady Chiyo into Gaara.

Mei stepped closer and suddenly knew what she was doing. Lady Chiyo was giving her life to Gaara. Mei watched as Naruto knelt beside Lady Chiyo and placed his hands on hers, aiding her in her life transfer. Mei was speechless as she watched the painful process. Soon Lady Chiyo fell over into the grass motionless. Mei gasped as she rushed over to Lady Chiyo, arriving at the same moment as Sakura. Sakura checked Lady Chiyo's pulse and simply shook her head, silently saying that she was gone. Her life transfer had completed leaving only silence in the field as they waited to see if it had succeeded.

Mei looked over at Gaara as his eyes slowly opened.

Gaara looked around, his eyes slowly adjusting to the bright sun in the sky above him.

"Hey welcome back" Naruto grinned as he got to his feet, offering a hand to aid Gaara. Naruto was clearly happy that Gaara was alive once again. Naruto cared for his friends deeply and hated seeing them suffer.

Gaara took Naruto's hand and got to his feet.

"Gaara..." Mei smiled. She was so happy to see Gaara safe and alive.

Gaara looked over at Mei, clearly shocked by what he saw. He saw the still bleeding wounds that marked Mei's skin. "You're hurt..."

"It's nothing really, just a couple scratches." Mei rubbed the back of her neck with a forced chuckle. She did not want him to worry about her. She felt fine for the most part, only three of the scratches were deep so she was focusing her energy to those parts so that she would not pass out from blood loss.

"I'll help." Sakura walked over and placed her hand on the deepest wound which was located on Mei's right shoulder blade. Sakura focused her energy and began to heal Mei's wound. Sakura was an excellent medical ninja thanks to her years of training alongside Lady Tsunade.

"Thank you Sakura. I'll be fine I just need some time to rest." Mei smiled. She hated being fussed over.

"You'll be back to normal in no time." Sakura smiled as she continued to heal Mei's wounds

The group looked around and saw the entire sand village walking towards them. The villagers cheered as they saw Gaara standing. Each person was relieved to see their Kazekage alive and unharmed. Everyone had feared the worst as they approached but all their fears were put to rest as they saw Gaara standing alongside the leaf village allies.

Gaara walked over to where his siblings Temari and Kakuro stood smiling.

"You know that girl nearly died twice to save your butt." Kankuro teased but glad that his brother was alive.

"Yea..." Gaara spoke roughly. Gaara looked to his side seeing Mei still getting healed by Sakura several feel away and out of ear shot. He could not understand why Mei put herself in harms way to protect him. She could have gotten herself killed by fighting Deidara but she fought anyway.

"Earth to Gaara you awake in there?" Temari waved her hand in front of Gaara's face making him look at her, a hint of annoyance in his eyes. Temari put her hand down and smiled awkwardly.

Gaara walked away from his siblings and over to where Sakura was kneeling with Mei sitting so Sakura could heal a gash on Mei's leg.

"I'll leave you two alone." Sakura smiled and got up, walking back to where Kakashi and Naruto stood.

Mei looked up at Gaara a small smile on her face. "How are you feeling Gaara?"

"Fine...you?" Gaara looked at her seeing that the deepest wounds were healed by Sakura leaving only the minor ones to heal on their own.

"I am fine, it looks far worse than it is." Mei blushed faintly, avoiding eye contact. She was embarrassed that she looked like a mess.

Mei slowly got to her feet.

"Let's go home..." Gaara spoke as he began to walk alongside Mei and the rest of the villagers.


	7. Care

The following day Mei was resting at home after having her wounds bandaged. The medical ninja wanted her to stay in the hospital but Mei had said no. She hated hospitals unless she was the one working. She loved helping people and hated being helped.

Mei woke up with a light yawn as she walked into her bathroom. She carefully undressed, removing all her bandages as well, and took a shower letting the warm water clean her wounds and soothe her sore body. She was told that she could not go on any missions until she was completely healed which was disappointing to her. She loved missions and longed to be an active shinobi for the sand village. She vowed that she would heal as quickly as she could so she would be able and prove her worth to the sand.

Mei turned off the water and carefully dried her body before wrapping the wounds. She had several wounds on her legs and arms that still required bandages but the rest of the wounds had completely closed on their own. Mei then put on a black strapless dress, it was one of the more comfortable articles of clothing that she could wear as she let her wounds heal. The dress was form fitting to her hips then hung loose to her knees. The dress was strapless with a red ribbon around her small waist. Mei brushed her still damp hair that she had used a towel to dry off before sitting down on her bed.

_I wonder how Gaara is..._ Me thought. She was so happy that he was alright and alive after everything that had happened the previous day. Mei then began to remember a moment when Gaara had saved her life...

_"Let go of me!" Mei shouted. Mei was only 5 years old as a man wearing a sand village headband with a deep gash though the symbol grabbed Mei's arm. It was late and dark, Mei was on her way home from the playground after getting into another argument with the other children about Gaara when the man appeared out of the darkness. Mei struggled to get out of the man's grasp but he was much to strong for such a young girl._

_ "Shut up kid" The man growled as he pulled out a kunai which made Mei freeze in fear. The man smirked "Good now you won't have to end up like your father"_

_ The mention of her father made her angry very suddenly. She was young but understood what had happened to her father and was very proud of him so if someone brought up his death in such a way she got very upset. Mei suddenly pulled her arm hard, obviously stunning the man since she was able to get her arm away. Mei did not waste time in saying anything. She quickly turned and ran._

_ "Someone help me!" Mei called out desperately as she ran as fast as her small legs would carry her. Mei saw the man appear suddenly in front of her which brought her to a shocking halt._

_ "Leave her alone..." A familiar rough voice spoke from behind Mei. Mei turned and saw that it was Gaara. Gaara was only a few inches taller than she was so Mei knew that he could get hurt._

_ "Gaara" Mei began._

_ "Oh if it isn't the keeper of the single tailed demon..." The man smirked before suddenly grabbing Mei and lifting her up off the ground by her small throat._

_ Mei struggled, unable to breath as the man held tightly onto her throat._

_ "Mei-" Gaara looked over with horror in his eyes. "Leave her alone you're hurting her!"_

_ "The daughter of such a legend will fetch me a pretty penny." The man smirked._

_ Mei struggled for breath as she squirmed attempting to escape to no avail. Mei suddenly saw sand completely cover the man except for the hand which still held tight on Mei's throat. Mei was slowly losing consciousness as the man suddenly released his grip on Mei as her body fell but she did not land on the hard sidewalk. She landed gently on sand. She could not see what had happened as darkness consumed her vision..._

Mei did not know what happened after that. She had lost consciousness but what she did know was that if Gaara was not there then she would most certainly be killed.

Mei looked toward her door as she heard a gentle knock on her door.

"Come in." Mei looked as Gaara stepped into the apartment. "Oh good morning Gaara." Mei smiled softly, she was somewhat embarrassed since she was still covered in bandages and her hair was still wet from her shower.

"How are your wounds?" Gaara slowly walked over.

Mei stood up "Oh they are fine, in a few days I should be as good as new." Mei rubbed the back of her neck.

"That is good to hear..." Gaara trailed off.

"And how are you?" Mei asked.

"Fine..." Gaara spoke plainly.

"Is something bothering you Gaara?" Mei looked at him with gentle eyes.

"Why risk your life for someone like me..." Gaara spoke, his gaze out the window.

Mei was caught off guard by his sudden question. "Well you had done the same for me so long ago...and...Because..." A small smile crept to Mei's face. "That is simply what someone does...for those they care for."

Gaara's breath caught in his throat before he regained his composure and nodded.

Mei had had feelings for Gaara for such a long time but feared rejection. Gaara was her friend as a child and ever since she returned to the sand village her feelings for the red haired boy with such a big heart that was masked behind the painful past that he lived.

"I care for you Gaara...I always have..." Mei whispered.

Gaara was stunned in silence. He felt that people had not cared about him until he had become Kazekage. When Mei left he had thought that Mei would have forgotten all about him and that would be the end of the only friend he had as a child. Mei proved those thoughts wrong the moment he had spoke to her when she returned.

"Gaara..." Mei looked down at the ground, she knew she had to saw this now or never. "I love you..." Mei stood in silence waiting for and expecting rejection.

Mei suddenly felt a small amount of sand wrap around her wrist and pull her forward. Mei looked up and saw that Gaara's gaze was no longer outside, his eyes were looking into her own. His ice blue eyes were full of something Mei had yet to see since she had returned to the village...he looked calm. The sand suddenly pulled Mei close so she was against Gaara's chest, his mouth just above her ear.

"I...love you too...Mei..." Gaara spoke, his voice barely audible.


	8. Thieves

A week had passed since Mei had confessed her feelings for Gaara. Mei had never felt so happy in her entire life. Her wounds had fully healed and she had been given the okay to go out on missions once again. She had received notice that she would be going out on a mission with two Shinobi she had grown to know in the village. Their third squad member was still recovering from injuries he had received on a mission a few days prior and the squad needed a medical ninja.

Mei got dressed into black shorts and a black tank top. She attached her small bag of weapons to her belt and pulled her long hair back into a pony-tail so that it would stay out of her face. She slipped on her sandals and walked out of her home, on her way to meet up with her team members. She walked through the active streets filled with people laughing and smiling, enjoying another beautiful day in the sand village. She soon reached the entrance of the village where two shinobi stood waiting. The first was a tall young man, standing about 6'3" withe short brown hair and tan skin. He was wearing tan baggy shorts and a white tank top under a brown vest. He looked around 25 years old. The second young man stood around 6 feet tall and had short blonde hair. He was wearing green cargo shorts and a green tank top under a brown vest. He looked slightly younger than the first man, most likely around 20 years old.

"Hello Mei, perfect timing." The older man smiled.

"Hello Kaon." Mei responded with a smile as she stopped in front of the two. "And hello Ishi." Mei smiled at the younger man.

"Let's head out. We want to get there by noon, luckily it is not to far from here." Ishi smiled as he followed Kaon's lead out of the village.

"So what exactly is the mission, they were pretty brief on the details to me." Mei asked as she walked with her team mates through the desert sand.

"We are checking in on a trading village several miles north. Apparently the Kazekage has not heard back in some time now and they fear something may have happened. It is most likely nothing but it does not hurt to be sure. They are an important trading post to the sand so we keep them safe." Kaon responded keeping his sights on the path in front of them. The three shinobi were used to the hot sun in the desert so the heat did not bother them badly as they walked for two hours to their destination. The village was spacious with many shops on either side of a stone pathway. Unlike normal, the shops were not open. There was no sign of anyone in the village.

"This place is a ghost town..." Ishi looked around, listening for any sign of anyone around but found nothing. The village was silently, a kind of deathly silence.

Mei quickly spun as she sensed something behind her. She raised her hand and caught a kunai by the handle just before it could hit Ishi.

Ishi gasped in shock. "Thanks Mei I owe you one."

"Forget about it, lets find whoever threw it...this place is not as deserted as we thought..." Mei began to scan the area, carefully looking around for any signs of anyone around.

A man in a pair of torn brown pants and a dirty white shift stepped out from behind a shop. "I-I'm sorry, I thought you were those thieves here to attack us again..." The man bowed in apology, seeing the headbands each ninja wore proudly allowed the man to know that this group was here to help, not hurt the village.

Mei then noticed a patch of blood on the man's side. "Are you hurt?"

The man looked at his side "It's just a cut from some debris from the attack last night."

"Let me examine it, I can heal it for you." Mei stepped closer as the man took off his shirt revealing a muscular build and a large gash that had been bandaged using what appeared to be tore pieces of clothing. Mei carefully removed the clothing and saw that the wound was still bleeding. Mei reached into her bag and pulled out a small container and opened it. Inside was a green substance. The substance was an herbal mix that Mei had made the night before for the mission. She was sure to make extra not knowing what they may find on the mission. She then carefully bandaged the wound on the man's side. "That should treat the wound and prevent further pain."

"Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore." The man looked at Mei in shock as he then fixed his shirt.

"Are there any more people injured?" Mei asked. She could not get a sense of the severity of the damage since there were no people to be seen.

"There are a few men hurt that are in the care of the women, I got the worst of it since they used me as an example so no one else stood up to them...they're coming back tonight." The man explained as he remembered the attack the previous night.

"What is your name?" Ishi asked.

"Oh forgive my rudeness, i and Baito. I run the weapons shop here." Baito introduced himself.

"When tonight will they be here?" Kaon asked looking around at the deserted village.

"They said the moment the sun sets." Baito explained. "They said they would be back each night for goods and if there is any resistance or if there are no goods... there would be a terrible result. The Injured men as well as the women and children are hiding while the men gather the goods...We are not a fighting village, we would prefer to give them what they want so that they would leave us be...But now that you are here maybe...just maybe we have a chance..."

"Don't worry, with us here there will be no harm nor theft..." Mei smirked.


	9. Hostage

Night had finally fallen over the small trading village. Mei, Kaon and Ishi were hiding in different areas around the village. Kaon and Ishi were completely hidden from sight while Mei posed as a female villager, borrowing some clothes and hiding her headband by tying it around her thigh so it would be hidden by the peasant skirt. Mei was dressed in a brown skirt that went down to her knees with a white tank top.

Mei sat in one of the booths, keeping her senses sharp, waiting for the men to arrive. The remainder of the villagers were hiding safely away except for a few men who were strong enough to play the role of store owners who could take a hit if necessary, not that the shinobi would allow that to happen.

Mei heard the sound of someone approaching. She looked up to see a tall man with tan skin and orange hair pulled back in a pony-tail. He was wearing brown cargo shorts and a red short sleeved shirt that had a few tears in it. The man had several scars including one under his left eye and several on his arms.

A second man approached, slightly shorter than the first man. He had paler skin with short red hair. He was wearing black pants and no shirt. He had many scars on his arms and chest.

"Look Retsu...Looks like we get a treat during our collection." The taller man smirked looking Mei up and down.

"You're right as usual Ikusa." Retsu grinned.

_The taller one is obviously the leader..._ Mei thought to herself.

"Hey where is Sen?" Retsu spoke as a third man appeared by their side.

The third man was the same height as Ikusa and had short blonde hair and tan skin. He was wearing dark blue cargo shorts and a dark blue tank top. He had a single scar across the left side of his face.

"Sorry I was just making sure we didn't have any unwanted guests..." Sen spoke roughly.

"Hey cutie what do you have for us today?" Ikusa placed a hand on the table and leaned close to Mei, his face only a few inches away from hers. He had a sickening smirk on his face.

"Take whatever you like, just don't hurt this village...and get your ugly face away from me." Mei smirked.

"Why you little bitch!" Ikusa went to smack Mei but Mei quickly caught the man's arm and twisted it before kicking him, sending him flying making him land hard in the sand. Mei quickly jumped into the air and landed several feet away from the men. She ripped off the peasant clothing revealing her normal clothes under it. She untied her sand village headband and tied it around her head once again.

"Now!" Mei called out as Kaon and Ishi rushed out of their hiding spots and charged the men. "The so called pretty boy is mine." Mei smirked. She was disgusted by how Ikusa looked at her like she was a piece of property he could claim.

Ishi charged at Sen while Kaon ran after Retsu.

Mei walked over looking at Ikusa who slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Well I wasn't expecting such a kick from a woman." Ikusa smirked.

Mei ignored his comment and charged at him as he attempted to hit her but she dodged. She went to hit him but instead felt a hard hit against her right shoulder followed by a popping of her shoulder dislocating. She gritted her teeth in pain.

Mei jumped back away from Ishi who cracked his knuckles. "Oh sorry did that hurt?"

Mei shook her head before she pulled a kunai using her left hand. She knew that until she could have someone pop her shoulder back into place that her right arm would be useless. _As long as I can move I will not quit..._ Mei thought as she ran at Ikusa appearing beside him and stabbing the kunai deep into his side before he quickly jumped away and attempted to kick Mei but she turned quickly and grabbed his foot and forced him hard to the ground. Mei glared at him. "Surrender now I am not afraid to kill you." Mei snapped.

"Never...I'm having fun..." Ikusa wiped some blood from his lips. The hard fall had given him a split lip. He slowly got up and smirked. He suddenly vanished from sight.

Mei quickly looked around but could not see him. She saw Kaon had killed Retsu and was now helping Ishi fight Sen.

Mei suddenly felt herself get hit hard in the back of the head. She felt to her knees before the world around her began to darken as she fell face first into the sand, the last thing she heard was Kaon calling out her name.

Kaon attempted to run to aid Mei but was blocked by Sen.

Ikusa flipped Mei over and tied her wrists together before tying her arms to her sides.

"Let her go!" Ishi shouted.

"Take us to your village. I am sure your leader will pay a hefty price to have her returned...Such a pretty face would be a shame to lose." Ikusa smirked.

Mei was slowly regaining consciousness. _What the heck happened? _ Mei felt her arms tied to her sides.

Ikusa forced Mei to her feet. He had a tight grip on the rope with one hand while a second held Mei's kunai, which he had picked up out of the sand, and held it against her throat.

"Don't do anything hasty. Ishi go on ahead and alert the Kazekage of the situation and their demands..." Kaon spoke calmly not wanting the situation to escalate.

"We want one million yen by sunrise. That is in three hours. That is when we will arrive at the village to exchange the woman for the money. If we do not get what we want not only will this woman die but everyone in this village as well. We will slit her throat and then come here to kill everyone here." Ikusa's sick smirk had grown to a whole new level.

Ishi nodded before quickly running on ahead towards the sand village. The two hour journey felt so long. _One hour left I hope the Kazekage can get the money together to save Mei...he won't be happy when I tell him..._ Ishi ran to the Kazekage building and quickly went and knocked on Gaara's office door.

A tired Gaara answer opening the door. "Yes?"

"Kazekage there is a situation. While fighting the bandits that took over the trading village Mei was captured by their leader. He is demanding one million yen by sunrise in one hour they will be outside the village waiting for the money. They say if they do not get their money they will kill Mei." Ishi spoke still in shock over the situation.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly before her nodded. "I will take care of this...Go await their arrival at the main gate..."

Ishi nodded before rushing out of the office.

_Foolish bandits...they do not know what they are dealing with..._ Gaara glanced out his window...


	10. Determination

The sun was beginning to rise over the sand village. Gaara stood in front of the entrance to the village along with Ishi and a few other ninja. Gaara stood strong, with his usual not amused expression on his face. The cool air was beginning to warm with the arising sun.

Approaching the village was Ikusa holding a still unconscious Mei in his arms while Sen walked with a watchful eye on Kaon. Ikusa dropped Mei's body in the sand and placed his hands on his hips with a smirk on his face. "Do you have our money?"

Gaara looked over at Ishi who nodded. Ishi reached behind him and picked up a brown duffel bag.

"How do we know she's still alive?" Ishi asked, still holding the duffel bag securely in his hands.

"Wake up sweetie." Ikusa kicked Mei hard in the back causing her to cry out in pain, already having a dislocated shoulder.

Mei looked over from her position in the sand and saw Gaara looking at her a moment before returning his gaze back to to Ikusa.

"See she's alive. I can be a man of my word. As a sign of good faith the man can go now." Ikusa waved his hand signaling Kaon to return to Gaara and the others.

Kaon kept his gaze on Sen and Ikusa, making sure that they did not catch him off guard as he walked back to stand beside Ishi.

"Alright, now nice and easy hand us the bag." Ikusa smirked once again.

Mei looked at Gaara and gave him a single wink, signaling that she had a plan to beat these men. She was still sore from the fight but was determined to not give up. She wanted to prove to everyone that she could be like her father, strong, smart and determined.

Gaara did not respond but Mei could see in his eyes that he trusted her. Gaara could be so hard to read to most, but Mei simply knew what he was thinking. Gaara gave a slight motion of his hand to Ishi who began to walk towards Ikusa.

Mei quickly twisted her legs around Ikusa's leg and rolled, ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder. Ikusa was clearly caught off guard as he fell into the sand. Kaon ran past Ishi and punched Sen hard in the jaw sending him too into the sand. Mei quickly scrambled, attempting to get away, without the use of her arms which were still bound to her body, but soon felt a sharp pain in her right thigh as a kunai pierced her. She then looked over and saw sand now surrounding Ikusa.

"Release me!" Ikusa shouted in a mixture of anger and fear. Gaara's sand powers scared many people due to how strong they were.

"Why..." Gaara spoke, his voice rough as he kept his gaze locked on Ikusa.

"Unless you release me that girl will bleed to death!" Ikusa began to laugh. Mei knew that the wound was deep but knew it was not life threatening.

Gaara glared and clenched his fists tightly as the sand crushed Ikusa's body in its grasps, killing him instantly, turning the sand red with Ikusa's blood. Gaara let the sand fall and cover Ikusa's lifeless body. Kaon and Ishi had Sen tied up and allowed the other shinobi to carry him away.

Gaara walked over to Mei and untied her arms and wrists. Mei quickly placed her left hand on her wound and slowly began to heal it, she was still weak so she knew she could not heal it completely but she could at least stop the bleeding. The muscle would take time to heal. As soon as she felt the bleeding stop she relaxed knowing that she was going to be okay with some rest.

"Thank you Gaara..." Mei smiled.

"Can you walk?" Gaara asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, my shoulder is still dislocated and the muscle in my thigh is still damaged. I only had enough energy to stop the bleeding." Mei explained as she suddenly felt sand lift her to a sitting position before it lifted her completely off the ground. She smiled as Gaara used the sand to carry her back into the village. She actually found this is to very enjoyable. She felt as though she was flying. She could not help but smile as Gaara continued to carry her with his sand. _I am glad he was not hurt..._ Mei thought to herself. She remembered that Ikusa and Sen mentioned the village leader and wanting money as she faded in and out of consciousness on their way to the village. She was worried that the men would have harmed Gaara.

The group stopped just outside of the Kazekage building.

"Kaon would you mind putting my should back into its socket?" Mei asked knowing Kaon had basic first aid knowledge.

"Oh, sure." Kaon walked over to Mei, who was at his level with the sand holding her up. Kaon carefully positioned Mei's arm so it was resting at a 90 degree angle. He carefully but swiftly pushed her arm outward until a pop was heard, signaling Mei's shoulder was now back in its socket.

Mei felt a stinging pain at first but it soon dissipated and was replaced with relief. "Thank you Kaon." Mei smiled as Kaon nodded.

"Get some rest. You can tell the Kazekage the information on how the mission went." Kaon waved goodbye as Ishi handed the duffel bag to one of Gaara's attendants before he too walked away, waving goodbye.

Mei smiled as Gaara had the sand carry her upstairs and into his office. Gaara carefully sat Mei down on a chair before allowing the sand to fly out the open window.

"The mission was successful in the sense that the trading village is now free and more than happy to continue trading with us. It was also a failure in the sense that I was captured by the men. I apologize for that." Mei truly felt guilty that she had allowed herself to get captured by the enemy and put everyone else in danger by doing so.

"They caught you off guard..." Gaara simply stated. "The important thing is that the village was saved and the mission was completed in the end..." Gaara sat down in his seat at his desk.

Mei smiled before placing her hands on the desk and leaning over and kissed Gaara deeply. She could tell that she caught in off guard but he relaxed and soon began to kiss her back. Mei could win as many missions as her heart could desire, but her true happiness was here...with Gaara...


End file.
